Teams in today’s corporate landscape are looking for a visionary leader who can help them take a leap of faith integral to creating a better world—to believe this is worth doing and that it’s actually possible.  

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

“Man In The Arena” speech delivered by Teddy Roosevelt in 1910.

This quote is a stark reminder: being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. It takes a great deal of determination and grit to face the adversities prevalent in virtually all startups and in life. We are the proverbial “men in the arena.”  

However, as the old saying goes, "past success is no guarantee of future success," and this has never been more true. In the race for relevance and growth, purpose-driven leadership isn't just a nice-to-have – it's now the ultimate competitive advantage.

Purpose-driven leadership isn't about sacrificing profits for social good. It's about creating an environment where innovation thrives, where people feel empowered to take risks, and where the collective intelligence of the team is harnessed to solve complex problems that matter.  

This approach is particularly crucial in our work at Innventure, where we're applying a pragmatic, results-oriented, and risk-mitigated approach to technology commercialization, combining scientific rigor with entrepreneurial agility. We’re not just building companies – we're forging a new model of leadership for the 21st century. It's a model that recognizes true strength lies not in having all the answers but in creating an environment where the best answers can emerge.  

According to Deloitte's 2020 Global Marketing Trends report, purpose-driven companies witness higher market share gains and grow 3x faster on average than their competitors, all while achieving higher workforce and customer satisfaction. Over the years, we’ve learned a few things from the companies we’ve created at Innventure to everyday lessons we continue to learn from the depth of knowledge and experience from our ‘serial CXOs.’ We've lived through what it takes to create and follow a clear sense of purpose that not only drives entrepreneurial agility but also retains top talent and fosters a culture of innovation.

From sustainable startup companies to Fortune 500 giants pivoting towards social responsibility, the message is clear: purpose pays off. Over the years, our band of superstars has been learning the right questions to ask to give potentially breakthrough technologies the best chance of success.

Take our partnership with Nokia. When we were introduced to their cutting-edge liquid cooling technology for data centers, we didn't just see a technology; we saw a solution to the growing energy crisis in the era of AI. Within 18 months, we launched Accelsius, an Innventure Company poised to revolutionize data center efficiency.

This success isn't coincidental. It's the result of five key principles:

1. Character

Authenticity is at the core of our leadership approach. We genuinely believe in the transformative power of the technologies we commercialize. This conviction goes beyond profit margins; it's about creating solutions that resonate with our team, partners, and the wider world. Our leaders embody this purpose, inspiring others to contribute to something greater than themselves.

2. Commitment

True purpose requires long-term dedication. Building breakthrough companies is a marathon, not a sprint. Our DownSelect® analysis is designed with this long-view in mind, allowing us to systematically identify and develop game-changing technologies. This commitment to purpose enables us to make more informed decisions, balancing immediate gains with long-term impact. It's about creating lasting value, not just quick wins.

3. Curiosity  

Purpose-driven leadership thrives on continuous learning and questioning. We champion asking "dumb" questions and challenging assumptions. This mindset has led to breakthrough insights. Approaching problems from new angles fosters an environment where curiosity trumps ego, unlocks crucial insights and sparks innovative solutions to complex problems.  We often say that our collective team has the “WHY” chromosome.

4. Resilience  

Building breakthrough companies requires bouncing back from setbacks and learning from failures. We view our "original mistakes" as valuable learning opportunities, openly sharing these experiences to refine our processes. This resilience keeps us focused on our purpose, even when faced with challenges.

5. Creativity

Innovation is at the heart of what we do. We cultivate creativity not for its own sake but as a tool to bring transformative ideas to life. This creative approach allows us to envision new possibilities with an eye toward creating meaningful impact.  

These competencies are not just theoretical – they deliver tangible results.  

From the beginning, the objective has always been to create a repeatable system for company creation that significantly reduces the typical risks of early-stage investing and to deliberately improve that system through lessons learned.  

We partner with MNCs to identify significant unmet market needs, leveraging their extensive market research. We then apply our proprietary DownSelect® analysis to determine the best data-driven decisions of what to choose for the best potential opportunities. This approach dramatically reduces risk. While traditional startups have a 70-80% failure rate, our approach focuses on commercializing mature technologies that have already benefited from significant R&D investment.  

However, the challenge is real. As Daniel Fisher reported in Forbes, 95% of the 2.1 million active patents fail to be licensed or commercialized, representing a staggering $1 trillion annual waste in underused IP assets (Fisher, 2014). This inefficiency persists despite U.S. businesses alone spending $602 billion on R&D in 2021, a 12.1% increase from the previous year (National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics [NCSES], 2023).  

As we look to the future, the importance of adaptive, purpose-driven leadership will become increasingly important across all industries. The challenges we face – from climate change to healthcare to sustainable energy – are too complex to be solved by lone geniuses or command-and-control leadership styles. We need leaders who can bring out the best in their teams, foster collaboration across disciplines, and create cultures where breakthrough innovation can flourish.

It is understood that in today's world, the most valuable currency is not merely information but trust. And it believes that by being generous with our knowledge, experiences, and vulnerabilities, we can unlock the full potential of our teams and technologies.

Because, in the end, the science of company creation is really the science of human potential applied to solving real-world problems. And by embracing these principles of adaptive, purpose-driven leadership, we can create companies – and a world – where that potential is fully realized.

Bill Haskell is the CEO of Innventure, bringing over 30 years of experience in building and scaling technology companies across diverse sectors. A seasoned entrepreneur and executive, Bill has served as CEO, COO, and strategic planning executive for numerous ventures, and has been a director for more than a dozen public and private companies globally. His expertise spans company building, financial modeling, M&A advisory, and taking companies public through IPOs. Bill's unique approach combines deep industry knowledge with a talent for assembling high-performing teams, making him a sought-after leader in the world of corporate innovation and technology commercialization.

Ready to revolutionize your approach to innovation and talent management? Contact us today to learn about Innventure’s innovative approach to company creation.